Week 3 Part B: Developing a Brand

 Week 3 Part B: Developing a Brand

 

Development of my brand, Marla Hope Designs

 

Brand Identity:

As a breast cancer survivor, I created a post-surgical recovery bra to help women feel better inside and out in recovery.  My brand is all about helping women on a really tough journey who are nearing the back to normal part; reconstructive surgery.  My message includes caring, optimism, femininity and hope (how coincidental that Hope is my middle name).  I decided to use my name as many fashion designers do so and my name totally fits my brand identity.  

 

My target market when I started was women who have had breast cancer, typically 45-65 years and in a higher income bracket.  Since I started selling, the age, unfortunately now even includes younger women from their 20’s and up to women in their 70’s.  I also found that this garment is helpful for other segments, including cosmetic surgery, emphasizing the need for a brand that does not focus on medical images.

 

I am the brand identity as this is my passion, so I have told my story on my website which customers often read and mention to me.  Often, I talk to customers to listen to them at length about their situation and to let them know that I am now 14 years out which is extremely hopeful for them.

 

Logo creation:

I am fortunate to have been in the marketing arena for most of my career.  So, I was able to recruit help from very creative people who have a lot of experience and have learned from their mistakes.    In developing my company logo, I considered a fashion design theme which included hand drawn logos (not strong enough), needle and thread (patients have seen enough needles and don’t need to be reminded), butterflies for an airy, light look and nothing jumped out at me.  

 

I started to think about my favorite flower, a tulip.  That set off more inspiration.  It was suggested that there was no question, the tuple needed to be pink due to my audience of breast cancer patients.    I started with the tulip logo with the stem.  Since then, while working with another artist, it evolved into the simplest logo as it is today.  Also, when I visit some surgeons’ offices, sometimes I bring pink tulips and remind them that it is my logo.  All about consistency and recognition.

 

I chose the Futura font as I like the non-serif simplicity as well as the letter 'a' which is shaped like this: a.  I use Futura throughout all my collateral for a consistent look.

 

Then, I created a product logo with a tagline to announce who the garment is for.  The logo is in the Futura font and in the colors to coordinate with the tulip logo.

When I recently introduced a mask, we modeled it after the post-surgical garment logo with a tagline.

 

Collateral:

At first, I needed business cards, letterhead, envelopes, labels for the envelopes, product hang tags, product size tags and thank you cards.  Then I needed trade show items, including a banner, table-top posters and brochures.  All these pieces are coordinated for brand consistency and recognition.

Later, as I took a class in InDesign, I started creating note pads that nurses enjoy and use!  I also created note cards for handwritten thank you notes to surgeons’ offices which come in handier than letterhead these days.  Every piece has a lot of white space and emits a feeling of calm, femininity and cheerfulness.

Off now to keep an eye out for good uses of branding; simple and impactful!

Marla Hope